Why Is This Place So Dirty?!

There were several ways to quickly enhance my abilities.

First, I could train normally. With abilities below E ranking, traditional training like lifting weights and exercising presented rapid growth. In the later stages, exercising gives less and less returns but when you're just starting out, most people would suggest that first.

This option would be perfect… if I wasn't in a time crunch. With only three weeks until the entrance test, I wanted to hone my skills rather than my abilities. Furthermore, only three weeks of exercise couldn't show very good results.

Second, I could use elixirs.

However, these are rare and incredibly valuable. The money that I currently had in my checking account wouldn't be enough to cover even 5% of the cost of an elixir.

Third, I could undergo an A.N.I., short for Arcane Nanite Infusion.

Nanites are microscopic machines. An A.N.I. involves pumping my body full of nanites that would reconstruct my muscles and mana channels, thus drastically increasing my abilities.

The downside is about one month of aches and the need for some physical therapy to readjust to your body after the procedure.

This option was perfect. Obviously, the downsides were pretty severe. However, the results would be much better and time-efficient than normal training.

After taking the metro from the residential district to the central business district, I found the Academy City hospital… 

And walked past. After taking several turns and doubling back multiple times, I found an easy-to-miss alleyway with trash scattered across the floor.

The rest of the city is so clean… I guess this is what happens when a place is forgotten.

I carefully stepped over black, plastic trash bags and puddles of strange, indescribable liquids. Although I was tempted, I didn't dare use the rain gutter spout as support-- I was afraid of getting tetanus from the thick layer of rust.

***

Ten minutes of maneuvering through garbage and pinching my nose. That was how long the journey from the alley entrance to my destination took.

I stood before the door to "Doctor Wang's Clinic," proudly announced by an ancient neon sign that was hanging onto the wall by a single screw. Fearing for the structural integrity of my skull, I decided to slip inside before the sign decided to finally fall and crush my head.

Inside, the clinic was almost as dingy as it was outside. The wallpaper was cracked and peeling, yellowed with age. Plastic chairs sagged from the weight of hundreds of people long gone. The cheap plastic seats lined the edges of the waiting room.

At the front desk, a young girl with black hair and tanned skin about my (biological) age was sleeping.

I tapped her on the shoulder lightly.

"Leave me alone… Ten more minutes…"

"I'm here for a procedure."

She snapped awake, sitting up and staring at me with disbelief. "Hah?!"

Now that she was no longer slumped over the front desk, I could see her nametag which read "Lillian Wang." Though, I already knew her name.

Before I could say anything else, she glared at me with a suspicious look. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Why? Is there a waiting list?" I replied with a deadpan expression.

She flushed red through her tan and stuttered. "I-- I-- Ugh!"

"Now that we're done with that, I'm here for an A.N.I."

Lillian ignored my statement. "Why would you come here for anything, much less an A.N.I.?"

"It's none of your business," I yawned, picking my ear.

"Fine! Okay! Alright!" The black-haired girl fumed, before stomping into the room behind her.

Without warning, the walls were subjected to an abrupt soundproofing test. They failed miserably, as Lillian yelled at the top of her lungs-- most of the words were unclear, but I think I heard "miserable lout" and "sad excuse of a doctor" amongst a variety of other insults.

"H-hello. I'm Doctor Wang," said a meek-looking man with pattern baldness. He was much paler than Lillian, but they had the same eyes. "Please, come inside while I get the procedure ready."

Lillian was nowhere to be seen, though I guessed she was probably aggressively organizing the storerooms. I remembered her as one of the more… colorful characters.

"Doctor Wang's Clinic" was where Gauss was usually patched up after particularly bad injuries. After being gone for about two years, his parents had eventually given up and ended their own lives. Though his foster family tried to take care of him, Gauss didn't want to be a burden on them and tried to deal with his issues on his own.

Whenever he got hurt outside of school, he paid for his own treatment. The cheapest, most reliable option was Doctor Wang.

Emphasis on "reliable." Although the place was run-down and forgotten, I knew both Lillian and Doctor Wang were capable people-- after all, I had written the story.

After waiting for only ten minutes and filling out some paperwork, the balding man gestured for me to step inside an extremely futuristic-looking tube. Inside, there was barely any room; my shoulders nearly touched both walls.

"I'm going to connect the injection tubes now," Doctor Wang warned. "It will hurt slightly."

I nodded. "I'm ready."

Just as he said, the needle pricks hurt more than usual but weren't unbearable. The doctor then placed a breathing mask over my head, tightening the straps as tight as they could go.

"I'm closing the injection pod."

The glass cover slid down, sealing me inside the large cylinder. Blue fluid began to flow in from vents in the side of the pod, until I was completely submerged in a thick, viscous substance. For several moments, I panicked. Thankfully, I could still breathe from the mask, but being submerged was still terrifying.

Faintly, I heard him say, "Beginning A.N.I."

I don't remember much after that.

***

I woke up on the hospital bed, my whole body feeling incredibly sore. The anesthesia probably wore off, I grumbled.

"Congratulations on your successful procedure," Doctor Wang cheerfully said.

"Thank you," I nodded. "How long should I stay hospitalized here?"

The doctor replied, "About a week and half of physical therapy and you should be good to go."

I distinctly became aware of my dry throat. I had been sitting in the pod for several hours and lying unconscious for several more; I was very thirsty. "By the way, do you have any water?"

"Of course, of course. Give me a minute," Doctor Wang nodded, before stepping out of the room.

Meanwhile, I turned on my watch to check my student ID.

[Name: Mav Callahan]

[Age: 14]

[Year: Freshman (Incoming)]

[Overall Ranking: N/A]

[Strength: G+ → F]

[Endurance: G → F-]

[Dexterity: G- → G]

[Agility: F- → F]

[Mana: F → F+]

Not bad. Now I'm approximately at the level of when Gauss first fell into the Gate Break…

I was satisfied with the results of the procedure.